Home amongst the gum tree's...

[danpickard]

Hi all,
I've had a chance lately to spend some time playing with the iconic Aussie gum tree (eucalyptus) models that I'll need several hundred of for both a home layout, and also a new exhibition project.  Many modellers here in Australia have used Sedum "Autumn Joy" dried flower stems (a succulent plant), as fairly good representations of our common tree.  The dried armatures are quite typical of the limbs of many gums, and the dried flower heads bare a good resemblance of the gum tree's canopy.  Commonly, I have seen them used, where modellers might just dust the top of the flower head with some green flocking material, and then call it done...but there's so much more to a gum tree than that.

One of the things about a gum tree that has always fascinated me, was the wide colour pallete they use.  The trunk can vary from black, burnt umber and smoky greys within th eolder barks, to the fleshy new bark skin which can be nearly white, through to beige, muddy browns, greys, to almost pastel greens, and then stained with sap leaks that are deep gooey rusty colours almost.  The foliage varies from a bold basil green, to burnt off browns, oranges and then fresh lime green tips.  Brown trunk with green leaves not!  I wanted to try and get a bit more of a better representation of what my local backyard landscape really looks like. 

So here's the forst experimental batch...a few quick shots from a recent railway exhibition where I was working on them.


Cheers,
Dan

[marc_reusser]

Dan,

Those are beautifully done. When your'e done with your clinic, care to do an SBS here, on how to make them?

Marc

[danpickard]

Thanks Marc,
I intend on doing a clinic on my tree's for an NMRA convention here in Melbourne next year, so yes, I will elaborate on a more detailed SBS in the near future.  I need to remember to take pics of all the different stages of construction, so you lot can be my lab rats

Busy end of the year of course, so the modelling time is a bit limited, but these first trials have got me inspired to produce more of them, as well as much bigger Mountain Ash tree's (the pictured ones are just 40' babies compared to a 200-300' Mountain Ash...now thats an intimidating tree to model, but I have made one!).

Cheers,
Dan

[Ray Dunakin]

Commonly, I have seen them used, where modellers might just dust the top of the flower head with some green flocking material, and then call it done...but there's so much more to a gum tree than that.

One of the things about a gum tree that has always fascinated me, was the wide colour pallete they use.  The trunk can vary from black, burnt umber and smoky greys within th eolder barks, to the fleshy new bark skin which can be nearly white, through to beige, muddy browns, greys, to almost pastel greens, and then stained with sap leaks that are deep gooey rusty colours almost.  The foliage varies from a bold basil green, to burnt off browns, oranges and then fresh lime green tips.  Brown trunk with green leaves not!  I wanted to try and get a bit more of a better representation of what my local backyard landscape really looks like. 

This is what separates the good modelers from the rest: Being observant of the details.

[jacq01]

   very, very wel done.  Are you also showing the peeling bark seen on so many gums.

    Jacq

   

[danpickard]

Hi Jacq,
I do have some peeled bark to work with.  The tricky part is getting it to peel well.  It is actually a bark material, sold in sheet rolls in the garden section of the hardware, and intended as a liner for plant hanging baskets.  Its like a papar bark material, and one side of it flat papery sheets, while the other side is made up of long fibre strands, which will be suitable as the peeling bark on my trees...I'm still working lifting the fibres to get decent lengths to play with.  I certainly intend to use a lot of this sort of bark material scattered around the tree base, mixed in with leaf litter and long grasses.  I have tried the peeling bark with paper strips before, but the real bark has a much more natural look to it, for obvious reasons I guess.

I need to get out for a bit of a hike and gather a few of my own reference shots...once it stops damn raining though.  Not really having much of a typical hot Aussie summer just yet, just thunderstorms and flooding!

Cheers,
Dan

PS; hows the "funny fingers" problem going with you?

[jacq01]

  Dan,
  with the daily excercises my thumb is slowly returning to it's normal abilities. It is still a delicate balance and a new experience of living with the limitations.
  The pink will take much longer, if ever, to regain the sense of "fabric" touch again. Touching an object I sense, but do not feel the sort of material and
  surface status, like smooth, wet, warm, wood or steel, etc....
   Modeling is luckily possible again and last night I enjoyed working more than three hours on a new set of disconnects.
  Tonight I get help setting up the landscape modules so I can start finalising the next couple of weeks a lot of items for an exclusive serie of photographs for Russ.
  Progress photo's for the forum will not be forgotten. 

  Jacq

[Chuck Doan]

Those are great, Dan! I some California one's right outside my window.

[NORCALLOGGER]

Dan,
Those trees are looking really good.
Like Chuck We have a bunch here on the place.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company is responsible for bringing the
Blue Gum and Red Gum to California.
Later
Rick

[MurrayScholz]

Hi Dan,

very nice trees! I really like the bark detail that you have achieved. I will look for the bark you mention for when I get to building my mountain ash forest

I have been making 7 large River Redgums for a river scene on my new layout but at the moment there isn't enough hours in the day to get them finished

Cheers

Murray Scholz

P.S. like you I wish summer would arrive

[danpickard]

G'day Murray,
I'd encourage you to join this thread and put up a few pics of the river gums you have pieced together as well, as I'm sure others here would be appreciative of your scenery modelling style.  I may be giving your wire trunk river gum methods a go in the future, as I have plans for a few large weeping twisted monsters to be hanging over a creek section of the home layout. 

Good to see you face around here mate.

Cheers,
Dan

PS; you got any land left up your way, or are you growing a new lake as well?

[MurrayScholz]

Hi Dan,

thanks for the invite. I am keen to see how you are making your trees.

I haven't worked out how to upload photos yet so here is a link to my blog which has a few photos   http://bogonggeehirailway.blogspot.com/

The scenery is not complete in them because I have been regauging the track.

Your almost right about the new lake, we have been flooded 4 times in the last 8 weeks. We are trying to get our harvest off but it is so wet that it is making life very difficult

Cheers

Murray

[MurrayScholz]

I think I have worked out how to post photos!

Here is a picture of my layout showing one of my gum trees. It is about 15' tall and is made from wire, das clay and yarrow flowers. In later trees I have substituded sedum flowers for the yarrow.

Cheers

Murray

[Ray Dunakin]

That tree is terrific! The layout looks good too.

[okiecrip]

those are really nice trees would like some of those on my on30 modules